Port Stephens surfers made their mark on the Burton Automotive Surfest Wildcard Trials on Saturday.
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Top four results were posted by six Bay-based surfers in the trials held at Birubi Beach.
Josh Stretton, 15, from Anna Bay impressed judges in his two events – the nib Pro Junior Wildcard Men and the under-16 Sanbah Cadet Cup Wildcard.
He came second in the Pro Junior but claimed first in the Cadet Cup Wildcard.
Winning the trial has earned Stretton free entry into the Surfest Sanbah Cadet Cup. He will go into the event, which will be held at South Bar Beach in Newcastle on February 10 and 11, as the number one seed.
“It feels really good to be on a roll like this at the beginning of the year,” Stretton said.
“I went into the trials not expecting anything because it’s the first couple of events of the year. I think that sort of helped. I felt calm and composed.”
Stretton’s surf results come off the back of a top four placing in the ECS Surf SUP and Paddle Battle competition.
The teen, who is also competitive on a stand-up paddle board (SUP), took part in the Lake Macquarie Festival of Surfing event on January 20-21. In the open men’s category, he placed third.
The same weekend as the cadet cup, Stretton will surf in the Pro Junior at Merewether Beach.
Additionally, he will surf with the Bay Area Boardriders in Surfest’s ORICA Team Challenge (Stockton Beach February 3-4) and in the High School Team Challenge with San Clemente High School (Merewether Beach February 15-16).
Stretton was not the only member of the Bay Area Boardriders Club who did well in the trials.
Jasmine Simpson from Anna Bay placed second in the nib Pro Junior Women while Eden Hasson (Boat Harbour) and Jimmi Hill (Boat Harbour) placed second and fourth respectively in the under-14 boys Sanbah Cadet Cup.
Chris Hasson, Nelson Corner and Brett Weston competed in the WSL Men’s 6000 Burton Automotive Pro trial while Taj Turner and Isaac Sullivan surfed in the under-14 boys cadet cup trial.
Corlette brother and sister Mikey and Elle Clayton-Brown placed in the top four of their events.
Mikey came second in the Burton Automotive Pro trial while Elle came third in the Grandstand Sports Clinic Women’s Pro.
Surfest organiser Warren Smith said the Surfest trials, held each year at Birubi Beach, are “very important” for surfers trying to “make their mark”.
“The Surfest trials... are a very important event for male and female surfers who are trying to make their mark on the WSL World Qualifying Tour,” he said.
“Past winners of the trials have always surfed exceptionally well in the main events, at times surpassing their wildest expectations.”
Twenty-four of the best male surfers from the length of the east coast of NSW competed over three rounds and a final in the Burton Automotive Pro trial to win a wildcard into the event.
Troy Skillin from Norah Heads triumphed after a see-sawing final against Mikey Clayton-Brown.
RESULTS
Burton Automotive Pro
1st: Troy Skillin
2nd: Mike Clayton-Brown
3rd: Dane Atcheson
4th: Joel Paxton
Grandstand Sports Clinic Women’s Pro
1st: Alysse Cooper
2nd: Vittoria Farmer
3rd: Elle Clayton-Brown
4th: Sabre Norris
nib Pro Junior – Men
1st: Joel Vaughan
2nd: Josh Stretton (Bay Area – Anna Bay)
3rd: Sonny Whitby-Otto
4th: Ethan Hartge
nib Pro Junior – Women
1st: Sabre Norris
2nd: Jasmine Simpson (Bay Area – Anna Bay)
3rd: Sockie Norris
Sanbah Cadet Cup – U/16 Boys
1st: Josh Stretton (Bay Area – Anna Bay)
2nd: Cooper Puttergill
3rd: Ethan Hartge
4th: Gus Nicholson
Sanbah Cadet Cup – U/14 Boys
1st: Archie Mandin
2nd: Eden Hasson – (Bay Area – Boat Harbour)
3rd: Manning Gregory
4th: Jimi Hill (Bay Area – Boat Harbour)
Dalton Lawyer U/16 Girls
1st: Sabre Norris
2nd: Darci Air
3rd: Jasmine McCorquodale
4th: Sockie Norris